REAL ID deadline approaches; Here’s what Illinois officials want you to know:

ILLINOIS (WCIA) — Illinoisians have been hearing for years that they will soon need a REAL ID. Now, starting May 7, a REAL ID will be required to fly if you don’t have a passport. But the Illinois Secretary of State has a message for you.

“This is a public service announcement. We have been screaming from the rooftops for a very long time that the REAL ID deadline is not really a deadline,” Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias said.

In April the state issued more than 185,000 REAL ID’s. With so many people rushing for one Giannoulias said it’s making it hard for others to use the DMV for other services. He said you still have time to get your new license.

“For folks who think that we are going to stop issuing REAL ID’s this Wednesday, May 7th, that is not the case,” Giannoulias said.

He said Homeland Security will have a two year enforcement period where they’ll still let you fly with your regular ID. But, the process for you to board will take longer.

“We don’t want to discourage people from getting a real ID, but the fact is, the vast majority of people do not need a real ID before Wednesday,” Giannoulias said.

He’s seen people wait in hour long lines and is hoping this message will put everyone at ease.

“Because there is, amongst this chaos, fear, confusion, that for the foreseeable future, forever, your regular driver’s license, you can still use it to drive a vehicle. And your state ID can still be used as a valid form of identification,” Giannoulias said.